SailQuest Youth Sailing Program

SQ Certificates

SailQuest Sailing School will issue certificates to qualified sailors. Students who complete the Youth Program - SQ CREW course will receive the SQ International Crew certificate. Students who complete the Youth Program - SQ SKIPPER course will receive the SQ Skipper certificate.

SQ Crew/Skipper Certificate Details:

SailQuest Crew Course

This certificate is included in the Youth Program - SQ CREW course. This five day entry level "Learn to Sail" course is the place to get started with the SailQuest Youth Sailing Program. The SailQuest Crew certificate is a certificate of excellence for those candidates who wish to train to become an active crew member on a power or sailing yacht.

Certificate Limitations

  • Crew on a vessel up to a maximum length of 78 ft /24 meters
  • in coastal waters up to 20 miles offshore
  • in daylight hours and in fair conditions with moderate wind and sea conditions

It is the level of competence that someone needs either when acting as watch keeping crew on a yacht and as a skipper of a small yacht in protected waters where help is immediately available in calm conditions.

Course Outline

  • Nautical terminology
  • Safety briefing
  • Passage planning
  • Rope work
  • Basic rules of the road
  • Introduction to weather
  • Basic sail handling
  • Basic handling under power
  • Man overboard procedures
  • Vessel equipment and instruments
  • Engine checks and maintenance
  • Deck seamanship
  • Sailing vessels handling skills
  • Sailing vessels under power
  • Power vessel handling skills
  • Dingy handling under power

SailQuest Skipper Course

This certificate is included in the Youth Program - SQ SKIPPER course. This advanced five day sailing course is not for beginners and the entry level requirement is the SailQuest CREW certificate. The SailQuest Skipper certificate is a certificate of excellence for those candidates who wish to take command of a yacht and be qualified to charter, operate and own a yacht in locations around the world.

Certificate Limitations

  • Command of a vessel up to a maximum length of 78 ft /24 metres
  • In coastal waters up to 20 miles offshore
  • In daylight hours and in fair conditions with moderate wind and sea conditions
  • This certificate is the level of competence that one needs when chartering a boat in the Mediterranean or West Indies where there are restrictions in terms of cruising area and distance from the base and the vessel has to be safely moored in a marina or anchored before dark

Course Outline

  • Responsibilities of a Bareboat Skipper
  • Crew safety checks
  • Hull and rig checks
  • Machinery and systems checks
  • Fuel and water capacity and range
  • Menus and quantities
  • Float plan
  • Sources of meteorological information
  • Pilotage and passage planning
  • Considerations when planning a passage
  • Routine for navigating a coastal passage
  • Passage strategy
  • Vessel handling in confined quarters
  • Mooring, anchoring, coming alongside
  • Ropes, knots, care and use of lines
  • General deck work
  • Tides and currents theory
  • Tidal heights, springs and neaps
  • Position fixing, three point fixes
  • Collision regulations
  • Lights, shapes and sounds
  • Application of the regulations
  • Advanced dingy handling